Applied Engineering Sonic Blaster User Manual Download Page 1

Page: 1 / 75

A DIVISION OF AE RESEARCH CORPORATION

v1.2

Summary of Contents for Sonic Blaster

Page 1: ...Sonic Blaster User s Manual Æ APPLIED ENGINEERING ADIVISIONOFAERESEARCHCORPORATION v1 2 ...

Page 2: ...an a rabbit ear antenna or an antenna mounted in the attic Make sure that all electrical connections on the computer are secure and any shielded 110 cables are properly fastened Move the computer away from the receiver Plug the computer and receiver into separate electrical circuits If necessary the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio television technician for additional suggest...

Page 3: ... conjunction with Applied Engineering products nor for programs or data stored in or used with Applied Engineering products including the costs of recovering such equipment programs or data The warranty and remedies set forth above are exclusive and in lieu of all others oral or written express or implied No Applied Engineering dealer agent or employee is authorized to make any modification extens...

Page 4: ...Users 4 CHAPTER TWO PUTTING IT IN 5 A Note about Volume Control 10 Now What 10 Part Two Sonic Blaster The Software INTRODUCTION START LOOK AND LISTEN 1 3 About the Sonic Blaster Disks 13 Running the Software 13 Booting the Software 14 From the Startup Disk 14 From the Finder 14 Other Launchers 14 Sample Session 14 Repetitive Play Volume and Rate 15 Effects 15 What s Next 15 Table of Contents 1 ...

Page 5: ...ff Volume Playback Sample Rate Record Sample Rate Record Level Play Time Max Block Select Region Resolution CHAPTER TWO THE FILE OPTIONS New N Open O Append Close W Save S Save As Formats Recognized Print P Page Setup Choose Printer ii Sonic Blaster 17 17 17 18 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 21 21 23 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 28 28 29 ...

Page 6: ...l A CHAPTER FOUR THE VIEW OPTIONS Zooming Zoom M Zoom In plus Zoom Out minus Full View F Oscilloscope Change Color CHAPTER FIVE THE EFFECTS OPTIONS Amplify Backwards Echo Fade Down Fade Up Phase Shift Shift Silence Table of Contents 3 1 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 33 33 3 5 35 35 35 35 35 35 36 3 7 37 37 37 39 39 39 39 40 iii ...

Page 7: ...isplay Channel 2 List of Open Sound Files Appendices A Copying Sonic Blaster to RAM ROM or Hard Disk B Trouble Shooting C Adapters Microphones D The Introplay Program E Saving Large Files F Try This G Programmers Reference H Getting Help Returning a Product RMA Number Attention Sheet and Invoice Packing When We Receive Glossary iv Sonic Blaster 4 1 41 41 41 42 42 42 42 42 42 4 3 43 43 43 4 5 4 7 4...

Page 8: ...our favorite songs TV shows or noises you make with your own mouth hands nose pets etc The included Super Hi Res software lets you digitize in mono or stereo Variable record and playback rates as well as volume setting are also provided in the control panel But wait There s more Audio Art the second disk contains an aural spectrum of sounds We ve pulled several files from Æ s vast library o sounds...

Page 9: ...rs in the section detail each menus options The chapters are in the same order as the menus for easy reference The Appendices tell you how to copy the SB program to your RAM ROM or hard disk how to work around problems you may encounter what adapters you may need and more The Glossary contains most of the terms used in the manual with which you may not be familiar Any comments or suggestions regar...

Page 10: ...PART 1 Sonic Blaster The Hardware Part 1 The Hardware 1 ...

Page 11: ...Sonic Blaster 2 Part 1 The Hardware ...

Page 12: ...red to allow your speakers to connect to the Sonic Blaster s mini stereo plug Appendix C details some of the adapters available at any Radio Shack A Phillp s screwdriver is the only tool you ll need to install the Sonic Blaster Where It Goes We recommend installing the Sonic Blaster into slot 2 You can also use it in slot 1 or slot 6 It will also work in slot 5 but most GS users access the 3 5 dri...

Page 13: ...the GS modem port put it in slot 2 and toggle between the Sonic Blaster and the modem with the Control Panel s Slots option If you have an internal modem and a printer connected to the GS printer port put it in slot 1 and toggle between Sonic Blaster and the printer with the Control Panel s Slots option The Slots option setting will be discussed more in step 12 of the next chapter RamKeeper Users ...

Page 14: ...ur hand to pull the lid up and towards you See below 3 Touch the power supply to remove any static electricity from your body Do not skip this step A static shock can damage the chips on your card and or the chips on your computer s motherboard Remove the IIGS cover Touch the power supply case 4 Remove the plastic plate from the backplane if it still covers the large opening closest to the slot in...

Page 15: ...he card by its edges like a photograph 6 Plug the card into slot 2 1 or 6 in order from most recommended to acceptable by inserting the fingers of the circuit board into the slot The fingers will enter the slot with some friction and will then seat firmly 6 Sonic Blaster The Hardware ...

Page 16: ...of the mounting plate cable should be connected to the six pin connector on the SB Make sure it is still firmly connected Partially Insert bottom screw Connect the plate lettering should be upright Important You must connect the mounting plate to the back panel of the computer for proper grounding If you do not Sonic Blaster cannot function properly 8 Now attach the loose end of the Ensoniq Input ...

Page 17: ...ert it now Make sure that the insulator is still in position before reconnecting the power At the end of the SB installation follow the directions in the RamKeeper manual for setting up the ROM disk 8c The other end of the E I O cable should be connected to the seven pin connector on the SB Make sure it is still firmly connected 9 Connect the line from your speakers or stereo amplifier to the SB s...

Page 18: ...ter The arrows will be pointed to the left at about 315 See illustration following Volume Pots Volume Pots set to low Cables to Connector set to medium Cables to Connector Plate Plate Volume setting Volume setting w amplifier connected w o amplifier connected 11 Replace the Apple s cover 12 Now use the Control Panel to set the slot setting for the Sonic Blasters slot to Your Card If you plan to us...

Page 19: ...f the GS internal speaker and earphone jack but will have no effect on speakers connected to the Sonic Blaster connector Now What Now your Sonic Blaster is ready to Boot up your favorite GS specific game and hear the roar The Sonic Blaster greatly enhances the sound of GS games and other programs that use the Ensoniq chip Such games as Tomahawk Zany Golf Silent Service Fourth and Inches and Winter...

Page 20: ...PART II Sonic Blaster The Software Part II The Software 11 ...

Page 21: ...Æ Sonic Blaster 12 Sonic BIaster The Software ...

Page 22: ... disk drives The entire GS OS system is not included We recommend that you see your Apple dealer for upgrading to GS OS if you don t have it already The second disk Audio Art contains several sound files we ve made for you to experiment with Running the Software Before you run the software do the following 1 Make a copy of the Sonic Blaster disk Use either System Utilities included on your GS Syst...

Page 23: ...play a sound file I Click and drag down the File menu until the Open option is selected and then release the mouse button This opens a catalog of your current online disk 2 If the Audio Art disk is not the current disk cataloged make sure it is an accessible drive and then click on the Disk button until its name appears above the catalog wind ow 3 Double click on any sound file in the catalog wind...

Page 24: ... and dragging within the graph The section selected will have an inverse background and wave pattern from the rest of the graph Push Play to hear the selection 2 Click and drag down the Effects menu 3 Try out the different options select Backwards then click Play again select a different section by clicking and dragging and Echo it Fade Up another selection keep going get crazy have some fun keep ...

Page 25: ...emize and describe each of the options offered in the menus in the order in which they appear starting with the File options and proceeding to the right The Appendices offer everything from instruction on how to load the program to your RAM ROM or hard disk to some information about adapters you may need and their catalog numbers 16 SonIc Blaster The Software ...

Page 26: ...ve of the sound file currently selected The Select Bar The select bar the straight flashing line within the sound graph lets you choose the part of the file you want to work with You can play the entire file when the select bar is flashing nothing is selected or by choosing Select All A from the Edit menu To play only a small portion of the file click and drag over the portion to select it and the...

Page 27: ...rd alternatives for all four functions are given in the Keyboard Help menu See below Keyboard Help Player Controls Play option P Stop option S Pause option W Record option R These keys can be used along with mouse selection Extend selection shift key Select to end option Select from beginning command Keyboard Help window Stop Play and Pause affect the currently displayed sound file Record opens a ...

Page 28: ...ice you have connected to the Sonic Blasters IN connector Turn it On or Off by clicking the appropriate button Use the VU meter in conjunction with Record Level to get the best sound See Record Level following Volume The Volume bar lets you control the amplitude of the playback The volume will also be affected by the position of the volume knobs on the SB and any amplifier you may have connected P...

Page 29: ...from the Oscilloscope option under the view menu or have Sonic Blaster set it for you automatically with the Auto Gain option under the Setup menu Both of these option are explained in their respective chapters Play Time Play Time shows how long in seconds the currently displayed file is Max Block Max Block shows the amount of contiguous unfragmented memory available to the program at any given ti...

Page 30: ...elect Region don t worry this is due to rounding If the number on the label is about twice the number of the Select Region you re working with a stereo file each channel is half of the entire file s value Resolution Resolution is a ratio of how many sound samples per screen pixel are being displayed 1 1 means that every horizontal pixel in the sound graph represents one sound sample Resolution wil...

Page 31: ...Æ Sonic Blaster 22 Sonic BIaster The Software ...

Page 32: ...ou have copied or cut from another file Note The program automatically opens a new empty window when you record Before recording 1 Go to the Setup menu to set your Record Channel option for mono or stereo record 2 Set your record level automatically using Auto Gain under the setup menu or set it manually using the VU meters and Record Level bar on screen or the Oscilloscope screen under the View m...

Page 33: ...the playback setting for the appended files and whether the file will be stereo or mono If you open a stereo file and then append a mono file to it the mono file will be split into two channels not true stereo but split mono If you open a mono file and append a stereo file to it the two channels of the stereo file will be combined into one mono channel Close W Close a file with this command or by ...

Page 34: ...select No no save will be made Save As Save As gives you a chance to name an untitled file or save an already named file with a different name and or under a different format When this option is selected you re shown a dialog box like the one shown below Current Disk Catalog Window File Formats Save as screen Scroll through the disk catalog by moving the thumb in the scroll bar or by clicking on t...

Page 35: ... then save it in the new folder Open folders by selecting them in the catalog window and clicking this button or by double clicking on them in the catalog window Close the folder you currently have open by clicking this option or by clicking on the pathname located above the catalog window Save the sound file by the name that is currently in the Save Wave As box when you click this button The file...

Page 36: ... both the compressed formats and compare disk space used and quality with the original Raw Data is a mono file saved in straight binary format This means that information such as the speed at which the file was recorded is not saved in this format If you re saving a file recorded in stereo as raw data the two channels will be combined into one channel and saved as a mono file When raw data files a...

Page 37: ...creen without deleting the file Note If you click on a folder and then click Delete the folder will simply be opened not deleted Files can be deleted only one at a time Print P The Print option presents you with the standard IIGS Print dialog box Set to this mode for print of graph Does not apply Set page range to All Choose this setting to Soled how many copies print only pathname and you want to...

Page 38: ...ge Setup option Choose Printer Lets you specify your printer arrangement Select the printer you have online the port to which it is connected and whether it is an AppleTalk connection or a direct connection Click on printer you re using Click on port to which printer is connected Click on connection you re using Dialog box for Choose Printer option The File Options 29 ...

Page 39: ...Æ Sonic Blaster 30 Sonic BIaster The Software ...

Page 40: ...d in to take its place or until you quit the program Copy C Choosing Copy when a portion of the file is selected will copy the selection to the clipboard without removing the selection from the screen Paste V Selecting Paste copies the current contents of the clipboard into file at the selection bar position If a section of the file is selected when you choose paste the clipboard contents will rep...

Page 41: ... 2 Use the Set Mix Ratio slide bar to determine the amplitude ratio of the sample currently in the clipboard to the sample currently selected in the active window If you want the clipboard sample to be as loud as the window segment you would split the Mix Ratio bar to 50 50 If you want the clipboard sample to be background and the window sample to be foreground you would move the thumb on the slid...

Page 42: ...nd If the clipboard sample is shorter than the selected segment it will end before the selected sample ends You will need enough memory to copy the sample you want to mix to the clipboard Mixing the clipboard contents with a selected segment of a file will not increase the size of the file Select All A Select All has the same effect as dragging the selection bar from the sound graphs beginning to ...

Page 43: ...Æ Sonic Blaster 34 Sonic BIaster The Software ...

Page 44: ...om the beginning Zoom Out minus Steps you back from the wave giving you a wider view Full View p Choose Fullview to display the file s entire wave on the screen Oscilloscope Choose Oscilloscope to set your input levels before recording The Oscilloscope gives you real time feedback in response to your input Use the record level bar at the bottom of the window to change your record level You can als...

Page 45: ...lick on any of the four squares to change that color Adjust the color using the Red Green and Blue slide bars Click on the box whose color you want to change The Change Color option Click Default Color Table to return to the default Sonic Blaster colors Cancel to return to the colors set before choosing the Change Color option OK when you ve found a color scheme you like The next time you start th...

Page 46: ...u want to amplify Then select this option from the menu A window will appear allowing you to select the percent of amplification 200 is twice as loud Note When you increase the amplitude you also increase the level of noise you have recorded For the cleanest sound make sure that your recording levels are set high enough to capture the sound but not high enough to dip the sound See Trouble Shooting...

Page 47: ...oed Echos are usually referred to in time intervals A 1 8 second echo is about equal to the resonance in a bathroom A 1 4 second echo is like the echo in a large hallway A 1 2 second echo is like the reverberation in a big auditorium A 1 second echo is like yelling in a canyon Decide how you want your echo to sound divide the current playback by 8 4 2 or 1 and then set Echo Interval to that number...

Page 48: ... other cone is moving back This creates what is called an ambient effect Phase Shift lets you reverse the phase of one channel without changing the speaker wires Try it out and hear the difference 1 Open a stereo file 2 Select the Effects Channel option under the Setup menu 3 Choose Display Channel from the Effects Channel dialog box 4 Click the Ok box 5 Select the entire sample or the segment of ...

Page 49: ...ound graph When using the Shift option keep the following things in mind The Shift option will be inactive until you have a segment selected in the active window The Shift option affects only the zero level it doesn t affect the rate Shifting the zero level does not remove noise It can however introduce noise if the phase is shifted too high or low Silence Silence replaces the selected segment wit...

Page 50: ...e recording sound on one channel and silence on one channel Note Most mono inputs feed to channel one The VU meter will show which channel is getting the input If you have a microphone inputing to Channel 1 and have the Record Channel set to Channel 2 you ll be recording silence Sounds recorded on only one channel mono can be played back through both channels using the Playback Channel setting Eff...

Page 51: ...Rate This option will set the Playback Sample Rate back to what it was when loaded Raw Data format files will be set to 22085 Hz All other format files will be set to their original Playback Sample Rate Set Play to Record Rate This is the easy way to set your Playback Sample Rate to the same setting as your Record Sample Rate Set Record To Play Rate This is the easy way to set your Record Sample R...

Page 52: ...bled for mono files Notes Unlike the Effects options any Edit made to one channels graph will also be made to the other channels graph List of Open Sound Files Pick the file you want to display from this list of currently open files Note The program allows a maximum of eight files open at the same time Your computers memory and the size of the files may mandate a smaller maximum Ch 7 The sound Opt...

Page 53: ...ces are included for further reference and reading enjoyment A Copying Sonic Blaster to RAM ROM or Hard Disk B Trouble Shooting C Adapters D The Introplay Program E Saving Large Files to Multiple Disks F Getting Help 44 Sonic Blaster ...

Page 54: ...as they were when you last Quit the program The settings saved are Color Volume VU On or Of f Record Sample Level Record Sample Rate Single or Continuous Play and the Setup menu s settings for Playback Channel Effects Channel Record Channel and Auto Gain Clip Level Booting from the RAM Disk w o Your Own System Loaded To boot the program from a RAM disk you ll need to set up a RAM disk of at least ...

Page 55: ... program From RAM ROM or Hard Disk W GS OS Intact If your RAM ROM or hard disk is already set up with GS OS simply copy the SONIC SYS16 file from the Sonic Blaster disk to the volume If you want to keep the current settings intact color volume etc you ll need to also copy the SBPARAMS file from the System directory of the Sonic Blaster program disk to the System directory of your boot disk You can...

Page 56: ... of right or visa versa simply switch the speakers or their plugs around The Sonic Blaster uses the Apple standard left Our channel 1 and right our channel 2 output assignment Some programs however have the channels reversed Check startup device message If you re trying to boot the program from a RAM disk you must initialize the RAM disk before copying the program disks files onto it Unable to loa...

Page 57: ... record level Try using Auto Gain to set the record levels for you An example of clipped sound Sonic Blaster s Error Messages Cannot Set Record to Playback The maximum Playback Sample Rate is higher than the maximum Record Sample Rate so the record cannot always be set equal to the playback rate For example if your Playback Sample Rate is set to 43382 the Record Sample Rate cannot match that setti...

Page 58: ... files created on the Macintosh for example may be 16 bit samples You won t be able to open the file Playback speed is too fast When this message appears the file segment is too small to be played at such a high speed Slow down the Playback Sample Rate or select a larger segment of the file Entering and exiting the Control Panel while playing can also cause this error Requires AE Sonic Blaster Car...

Page 59: ...Phono Plugs Left and Right To Sonic Blaster OUT Ch1 Ch2 RS Cat No 274 369 Two Phono RCA Plugs to 1 8 Stereo Jack If your speakers have button terminals quick connect you can get two mini phone plugs to stripped ends and connect it to a connector with two 1 8 mono plugs to 1 8 stereo jack 2 cables RS Cat No 42 2434 and I adapter RS Cat No 274 375 From Speaker Wires Left and Right To Sonic Blaster O...

Page 60: ... etc To Sonic Blaster IN Left and Right Ch1 Ch2 RS Cat No 42 2444 RS Cat No 274 375 1 8 Phone Plug Two 1 8 Mono Plugs to to Phono RCA Plug 1 8 Stereo Jack If you can use the same connectors for output double the order 4 cables and 2 adapters and connect phono plugs to Audio IN and Sonic Blaster OUT If you have a setup different from the ones mentioned talk to your local Radio Shack person or stere...

Page 61: ...ut either plug two mono mikes into a left and right mono adapter two 1 8 mono plugs to 1 8 stereo jack adapter RS Cat No 274 375 see below or try a dual head microphone RS Cat No 33 1065 ToMono Microphones Left and Right To Sonic Blaster IN Ch1 Ch2 RS Cat No 274 375 Two 1 8 Mono Plugs to 1 8 Stereo Jack If your mike cable ends in a 1 4 plug you can use the 1 4 phone plug to 1 8 lack RS Cat No 274 ...

Page 62: ...ay is already in place To create your own intro sound run the Sonic master program and save the file you want as your intro sound to the System Setup folder in the System folder on your boot disk The file must be saved as an AE Format file called Introsound Note If you do not have the program setup correctly the computer will still boot but no sound file will be played during the boot If you re us...

Page 63: ...il you have selected a region the size you want to save Release the mouse button and key 4 When you have the right size Cut it X This moves the selected segment to the clipboard Don t use the Copy command to move the segment to the clipboard You need to remove the segment from the sound graph window 5 Open a New file N If you re segmenting a stereo file your Record Channel should be set to Stereo ...

Page 64: ... just saved 10 Return to the window you are segmenting 11 Check the size of the remaining segment as indicated on the cassette label If the Select Region is too large to Save to your other disk repeat the steps above If the Select Region shows a size that can be saved to disk use the Save As command to rename the file with the sequential number Ex Laughs 2 This saves the extra steps of cutting ope...

Page 65: ...ample rates we recommend the maximum 15 184 for stereo and 30 368 for mono Stereo or Mono When deciding whether to record a file in stereo or mono consider these points Do you have a stereo signal If you have only a mono signal there is no reason to record in stereo mono recordings can play back through both speakers In the stereo mode your maximum record rate is cut in half from 30 368 Hz to 15 1...

Page 66: ... I has the first drum beat Channel 2 has the third drum beat and both channels have the second drum beat You can make even mono files travel in this manner by copying them into a stereo window setting the Effects Channel to Display Channel then pasting in silence over a section of the sound wave at the beginning of Channel One and at the end of Channel 2 Using this technique you could record a jok...

Page 67: ...a dessert topping Ever talk to obnoxious phone salespeople who only let you say Yes or No Now you can let Sonic Blaster do the talking for you Record a Yes and No then select and play the appropriate one After you re used to this throw in a Please tell me more and an I m not interested for variety Play them at slower playback rates to send chills up their spine When they ask tell them you live on ...

Page 68: ...under the hood Identify the Sonic Blaster The card resides in the following memory locations CN00 5B CNO1 5B CNFF 5B AE File Format The AE File Format attaches an ID header with the following information to the sound file Files Binary Notes ID 4145504D AEPM ASCII 4 byte MSB off Type 2 bytes 0 AE Format 1 2 1 2 2 67 1 Channel 2 bytes 0 Mono 1 Stereo Length 4 bytes Length of sampled Sound per channe...

Page 69: ... SSND documentation for complete AIFF format information Setting Gain and Channel For Input When setting gain and channel for input write to the following hardware location C0n 16 81 write read The format of the byte to write is 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 x x Gain 0 31 0 Ch 1 0 low level gain for high input 1 Oh 2 31 high level gain for low input Note Bits 5 and 6 are not used This is all the information pro...

Page 70: ...ated to your question Please provide the technical support representative with the following information The Applied Engineering product related to your question and its revision number The original and current memory configuration of the card if applicable The model and revision of your computer What peripherals are being used and what cards are in each slot The name version and revision level of...

Page 71: ...n your package label Fill Out the Return Form on back of the yellow sheet marked Attention A complete form will greatly reduce the time it takes to return your package Attach a copy of your original invoice to the form Warning If you don t include an invoice products will be treated as out of warranty products and will be returned to you C O D for the amount of the service charge A completed form ...

Page 72: ...lity for inadequate packing or loss or damage during shipping When We Receive Our service department will use your completed form in an attempt to duplicate the problem If it is determined that your product is defective due to a manufacturing defect your card will be repaired or replaced at Æ s Option Any misuse abuse or non Æ authorized alteration modification and or repair to the Applied Enginee...

Page 73: ...se in a bad way not hot as in cool hep happening Clipping is evidenced by wave forms that flatten out at the top or bottom of the sound graph Lower the input level or record level to prevent clipping The Auto Gain option is also an effective way to keep from dipping see above Compressed Files These are files that have been in a form which reduces the amount of space required to store them One disa...

Page 74: ...sion around the plug or hole Playback Rate The rate in Hz samples per second at which the file is played You can change the Sonic Blasters Playback Sample Rate setting even while the file is being played A higher playback rate heightens the pitch and speed think helium A lower playback rate lowers the pitch and speed think horror films Prefix The ProDOS prefix is a standard default partial pathnam...

Page 75: ...of the program and can t leave then as a last resort you can usually use a RESET command You execute this feature by holding down the and RESET keys simultaneously followed by releasing the RESET key Warning If you use this option while a program is trying to write to disk you may damage the data on your disk Sampling Rate This is the speed at which the computer takes information from the sounds t...

Search results

Summary of Contents for Sonic Blaster

Reviews:

Related manuals for Sonic Blaster

Brands by name

Popular brands

Applied Engineering Sonic Blaster, User Manual

Search results

Summary of Contents for Sonic Blaster

Reviews:

Related manuals for Sonic Blaster

Brands by name

Popular brands